Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1915. THE CALL FOR CONSCRIPTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13699, 1 June 1915, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1915. THE CALL FOR CONSCRIPTION.

Daily the call for conscription, ir m gland becomes more insistent, ami he new National Government, accord n.» +.-. 4- n .J «.',',. < :.. r A _.-ii.

mg to xo-<iay s messages, is taceu with a strongs public demand. Conscription is needed not alone to' ■ replenish-: and build up the army m the field but also for the purpose of building up Indus try -arid- -maintaining effectively supplies to the Expeditionary forces. When ail mch. of militaxy age are put undor military; discipline there will not be the Blackness in' manufacturing/ industries which at, present unfortunately prevails. England has a very big wastage of war to make up and needs all the men she can get into the fighting line. . Immense losses must be endured m dynamiting 1 a way through the enemy's defences, and there is only one means of filling the ranks steadily so as to keep up the equable flow of men which is necessary. The Germans are said ; to have >at least four million men as a last reserve and tho Allies must hayo at least an equal number if tjiey are to win. A very large number of people at Home do not believe m conscription and think that the voluntary system lias more than fulfilled anticipations. This may bo granted at the outset. The voluntary system has done wonders and . borne the strain better than could have been expected. We are proud of our Voluntary army which has proved |t superiority again and again over iu'mies of pressed men. Nevertheless, the question now is not whether voluntary service or conscription is bettor but -that we may secure every available man m order to bring the war to a. bucceasful conclusion as speedily as possible. When AWahairi Lincoln was confronted with this problem m the American Civil -.'War .he decided on conscription: He had to get. the men and he got them. In Great Britain to-day there are still thousands of men who do not realise the. stern necessities of war, arid Who are content to let the patriotic enthusiasts fight their battles. .' Employment has never been so good, and w ( ages ' never so high. Thousands of men q£ military age and physically fit ar» at work and do not see why they should endure "the hardships of war. Th^y ■■persuade themselves that V they

are m their right place m carrying on various industries. They are more comfortable than they ever were before ; tbey have- 110F suffered by the wwainr — m fact? they have gained. They do not realise what German domination would mean to them. Like Horace Parker m ■'The 1 Message from Mais" they leave it all to the fire brigade which m this case is the British Navy and Army. They have not . suffered like the Belgians, and their first horror at what the 'fc-kjiawy had t" endure has gradually passed away. The Zeppelin raids and submarine attacks have failed to bring home to them what consequences every man m England would have to bear if the enemy were, victorious. That impertirrable' British calm of which we have been more or less proud has to be broken up, and itis a. good thing that .some anxiety has been caused through the alleged shortage of munitions, which we gladly learn to-day is not quite so serious as was at first supposed. The nation is now becoming thoroughly aroused. The problem before the people is that the Government must get- all the men it wants. .So far the War Office has consistently stated that recruiting lias been quite satisfactory, and "We rtyiy rest assured that Lord Kitchener if he wants more men' will say so and take prompt and effective steps to get them. Directly recruiting falls below a certain standard he will set the machinery m motion. Nor will the National Government hesitate. It- is not a question of liberty oi 1 ' constitutional right'; it is merely a question of finishing the war. There is no need to argue about it. The Avar has to -be\ ended and victory won at N any price. By conscription the British Empire would show its real strength. It has proved its power by sea and please God it will prove its power hy land. The nation, we feel sure, once thoroughly aroused, will cheerfully accept conscription and any other responsibilities that may be cast! upon it m order to down the Kaiser

and bring the world the ' blessing of a lasting peace. Compulsory service would' be no more irksome m Britain than it is m New Zealand or" Australia, where it has proved of immense value m giving initial training, .and. lias promoted rather than- dampened military enthusiasm. England will have no trouble m gHting all the men she \V;mtSj but it is needful that the Government should set up the machinery to mobilise and train them. It is quite possible the Government may follow up Lor'ii Derby's idea of a Liverpool Docker^ 'regiment, to cari^ out Government work at the port, by extending military service to the munition factories. It has been proved that the' patting of the dockers into khaki gnve- them zeal and energy and /they realised that' they were doing work just as '< necessary to fight the enemy as that of the soldier on the battlefield. In the present crisis the call for all men to w6rk hard, and steadily is very insistent, and wonders could be achieved by the formation of an industrial army, every member of which would be sworn with the same form of;. loyalty to King and country as thoSe "jyhp are now en^ •rolled m His Majesty's fighting forces. Khaki, the British war color, if w.oPn> by workmen m the munition factories under Government control, would give dignity to labor and stimulate .the patriotism of the "men to give of' their very best m the great national undertaking. . .